Chapter 73

Pang Da's large eyes darted around, and he went to a nearby stationery shop to buy paper and ink. He then approached the crowd and called out, "Everyone has seen what happened today. Pan Shaofeng, the son of the Prefect of Pan, drove recklessly in the market, treating human lives as if they were grass. The driver was clearly Pan Shaofeng, but the Prefect of Pan indulged and protected his son, refusing to admit that the carriage belonged to his family. Fellow citizens, all the brave men, step forward and testify against Pan Shaofeng. Come on, those who are willing to testify, sign your names on this white paper. I, Pang Da, will be the first to sign!"

Pang Da wrote a brief account of Pan Shaofeng's reckless driving on the long white paper and confirmed that the golden carriage belonged to Pan Shaofeng, as they had seen him driving it around the capital before. After writing this, he signed his name at the bottom. The brothers of the Justice Alliance also signed their names.

The citizens of the capital were not all cowards. After Pang Da called out a few times, many people gradually stepped out of the crowd and signed their names under the testimony. The actions of the Prefect of Pan and his son today indeed aroused the collective indignation of the people.

Although some citizens were still afraid and did not sign, the long white paper Pang Da bought was still filled with signatures, numbering in the hundreds. Pang Da, feeling satisfied, rolled up the paper and told the brothers of the Justice Alliance to find their own fun. He then hurriedly went to the Ming王府 (Ming王府 is a proper noun, so it's kept as is).

When Pang Da entered Song Li's room, he found the leader sitting at the table, chin in hands, lost in thought.

"Hey, why do you look like a wronged woman? Are you in love or just feeling restless?" This was the first time Pang Da had seen Song Li with such an expression, and he found it quite unusual.

"Damn, is there a difference between being in love and feeling restless?" Song Li glared at him.

"I didn't say there was a difference. I just wanted to emphasize how melancholy you look." Pang Da sat down opposite Song Li, his eyes darting towards the bedroom as he spoke, "Where's the female hero you brought back? She can't still be in bed, can she? Wow! Leader, you're really something, making a female hero unable to get out of bed!"

"Get lost! A dog's mouth can't produce ivory." Song Li kicked Pang Da under the table. This guy was so focused on studying the relationship between men and women, it was hard to understand where he got all these dirty thoughts from.

"If a dog's mouth could produce ivory, I'd raise a dog." Pang Da clutched his kicked knee, wincing in pain.

Song Li was indeed a bit melancholy. His encounter with Long Qiqi was so unexpected, and although it was brief, he had developed an indescribable fondness for this mysterious girl. Long Qiqi's sudden departure spared them the awkwardness of facing each other, but it left Song Li with a sense of loss. He only knew her name, Long Qiqi, and nothing else. Finding a girl with only her name in a city like the capital was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

He had considered using the intelligence network of the Cat Eye Bureau to find her, but the three special bureaus were the nation's sharp tools, and although they were under his father's control, he couldn't use them without limit. Using the nation's sharp tools to pursue a girl seemed inappropriate, and Song Xinghai wouldn't approve of such behavior.

If fate brings us together, it will happen, he could only comfort himself with that. Pang Da was right; he was indeed feeling a bit melancholy.

"Don't act like that, I didn't kick you hard. Is it really that painful?" Seeing Pang Da exaggerating his pain, Song Li glared at him and asked, "How's the situation on Chang'an Street? Did my father send someone to take the carriage away?"

"Hey, how did you know?" Pang Da's eyes widened in surprise, and he forgot to pretend to be in pain.

"Of course I knew. I told you to watch the carriage and already informed my father. Since you're back, it means the carriage has been taken away. What's so hard to guess? Everything is under my control." Song Li spoke with a confident air.

Pang Da gave him a thumbs up, "Leader, I really admire you. When did you become so cunning?"

"Hmm! What kind of talk is that?"

"Sorry, I meant cunning and strategic, planning from afar and winning from a distance!" Pang Da grinned, showering him with flattery.

"That's better. You know your place." Song Li smiled and nodded.

Pang Da laughed, "How can I not know my place? If I don't say something sweet, I'll get kicked again."

"Damn, am I that violent? Don't tarnish my reputation." Song Li then asked, "Did the Prefect of Pan try to take the carriage?"

"Hey, do you have eyes in the back of your head? How do you know everything?" Pang Da was genuinely surprised. Song Li was clearly at home, yet he seemed to know everything as if he were there.

"Of course. Why did I give you such a strict order? To prevent the Prefect of Pan from destroying evidence. If he didn't realize the importance of the carriage, he wouldn't be fit to be the Prefect of the capital." Song Li sneered, "Pan Shaofeng, that good-for-nothing, has really messed up this time. With the golden carriage as a starting point, the Inspectorate can thoroughly investigate the Prefect of Pan's financial accounts. This time, even if Pan Shijian doesn't go to jail, he'll be exiled for three thousand miles."

Pang Da was speechless. He realized the gap between him and the leader was growing wider. If he hadn't come to see Song Li, he would have thought this was just a conflict between rich kids. But now he understood that the leader's target was not just Pan Shaofeng, but the towering tree behind him. Pan Shaofeng was just the fuse that set off the fireworks.

Pang Da's eyes changed as he looked at Song Li. He felt the leader was becoming increasingly unfathomable. They were the same age, yet the gap between them was so vast.

"Hey, why are you looking at me with such longing? I'm not interested in men. I like women." Pang Da's intense gaze made Song Li feel uneasy, and he quickly reminded him of his sexual orientation.

Hearing this, Pang Da visibly relaxed and laughed, "That's more like the leader I know. You scared me there for a moment. You're so young, yet you've outsmarted a fox like Pan Shijian. That's just not normal. It's scary."

Song Li smiled but didn't respond. If you counted his age from his previous life, he was already in his forties. With the experience of two lifetimes, he was no less cunning than those old foxes.

"By the way, leader, I got something. See if it helps." Pang Da unfolded the testimony signed by hundreds of citizens and handed it to Song Li.

Song Li looked at it and gave Pang Da an approving look, "You're indeed clever, thinking of getting a collective testimony. Good. This will ensure we have the upper hand."

Pang Da said resentfully, "I just can't stand the hypocrisy of the Prefect of Pan. What a fraud. He talks about the welfare of the people, but he's just indulging and protecting his son, trying to destroy evidence. Do you know? He even denied that the carriage belonged to Pan Shaofeng and refused to admit that the bandaged man was Pan Shaofeng. Damn, his face is so thick."

Song Li laughed, "Pan Shijian is just a politician. Politicians don't need a face. Once you understand this, you won't be so surprised."

Pang Da narrowed his eyes, "Leader, what do you plan to do? We need to properly deal with this father and son."

"Isn't it simple? Take this testimony to the Ministry of Justice. The Minister of Justice has some connection with Pan Shijian, so this news will quickly reach Old Pan." Song Li said with a meaningful tone.

Pan Shaofeng's reckless driving in the market, though outrageous, didn't actually harm anyone, so in the end, they couldn't do much to him. Song Li wanted Pang Da to file the complaint to make the incident more public, the more people who knew, the better. In the end, everyone would know that the golden carriage belonged to Pan Shaofeng, and Pan Shijian would have no way to deny it. He wanted to create pressure on the old man. The more pressure he faced, the easier it would be for Song Xinghai to act.

"Leader, you're really devious." Pang Da raised his eyebrows and made a "you know what I mean" expression.

"To deal with devious people, you need devious means." Song Li kicked him and laughed, "Go, file the complaint."

"Got it." Pang Da nodded and went off.

Pan Shijian and his son returned to their residence, heads hanging low. They stared at each other, speechless.

Pan Shaofeng felt fear for the first time in his life. He didn't know how this sudden incident would affect his father. He wasn't stupid; he knew that all his privileges came from his father's position. If his father lost his position, he would be worth nothing.

He remembered Song Li's words, "I'll make you beg me to take the carriage back!" His heart raced. If he went to Song Li and knelt to beg for mercy, would Song Li back off? For the first time, the arrogant Pan Shaofeng felt genuine fear. Song Li was ruthless; he wasn't just trying to embarrass him but was aiming to cut off his support. This was too vicious! All his power came from his father. If Pan Shijian fell, Pan Shaofeng would become a rat. Given his past behavior, he had made many enemies. Once he lost his support, he would be like a rat in the street, everyone would want to beat him. The thought of such a life made Pan Shaofeng shiver to his bones.

"Father, if I go to Song Li and kneel to apologize, will that end the matter?" Pan Shaofeng mustered the courage to share his thoughts with his father.